The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life - Chapter 172 A Sudden Turn of Events

—Taming the Dragon.

I understand that it’s easier said than done.

The power behind its breath attack is astounding, and it flies so quickly that it could disappear from a spot in the blink of an eye.

Certainly, it would be great to tame such a powerful monster and have it under my control.

However, that’s assuming that I can tame it.

(No matter how I see it, it’s just not possible…)

It’s a Dragon we’re talking about.

In recent web novels, Dragons are depicted as either the protagonists’ stepping stones or their household pets.

What a load of bull.

By confronting it head-on, I was made aware that we aren’t at the same “level” as living beings.

Peony may be overpowered, but the Dragon is nothing to scoff at either.

Just recalling how strong it was gives me the shudder.

“Kuuun…?”

Noticing my anxiety, Momo pokes her head out from the “Shadow” and stares at me with worried eyes.

“I’m fine, Momo.”

“…”

Jiiiii—

Momo leans her head to one side as if to ask, “Really?”

So cute.

Kiki also pops her head out from the “Shadow” and proceed to stare at me.

““…..””

Jiiiiiii—

The two tiny animals are silently trying to put pressure on me.

So cute.

They’re so cute that it’s unbearable.

“I’m really fine, alright?”

““…””

*reluctant nods*

Momo and Kiki return to the “Shadow”, still half in doubt.

(I should consult Ichinose-san and the others about this matter.)

Regardless of whether or not I choose to go through with this plan, I cannot do it alone.

I want Ichinose-san’s and Nishino-kun’s inputs.

Nishino-kun is currently discussing with Fujita-san and the mayor about how they should go about attacking Peony from the inside of the “Safety Zone”.

“—Herbicides and pesticides are particularly effective against Treants. For the time being, can we have people gather as much of them as we could?” (Nishino)

“It’s possible…but with how huge the monster is, wouldn’t it be like pouring a cup of water on a conflagration?” (Fujita)

“It should be better than nothing. Let’s try to gather as much as we could. I’ll be asking Shibata whether or not he could synthesize some chemicals that have similar effects using ‘Drug Generation’.” (Nishino)

“Fumu…Among the staffs and those that recently leveled up, there should be some ‘Doctors’ as well. I’ll also ask for their cooperation.” (Mayor)

“Since pesticides and herbicides are effective against Treants, I believe we can expect the same outcome from ‘vinegar’ and ‘salt water’.” (Nishino)

“Salt and vinegar are precious resources. We don’t know when help will arrive, so we should be prudent and not waste any food.” (Fujita)

“We must have priorities. Don’t you know that we’re gonna die anyway if we don’t do something about that monster?” (Mayor)

“Of course I do, but I’m just pointing it out, mayor.” (Fujita)

“Salt water…Ocean water would work, but the beach is outside the ‘Safety Zone’…” (Nishino)

“Yeah, even with the Item Box, we would need to leave the ‘Safety Zone’ at least once.” (Fujita)

“But it would be game over the moment we leave because of the vines.” (Nishino)

“How about fire? Treants are still plants, right?” (Fujita)

“It might work, but I doubt that the fire would be strong enough. What’s more, if we were to use regular fire instead of a skill, we’d need to be careful not to light things on fire inside the barrier…” (Nishino)

“Then—”

They’re thinking of ways to damage Peony from inside the “Safety Zone”.

Pesticides, herbicides, and fire.

It’s great that we could unilaterally attack from the relative safety of the “Safety Zone”, but we lack a decisive card.

(As expected, we need something that can deal catastrophic amount of damages from a distance…)

As long as I succeed in taming the Dragon, this would no longer be an issue…I think.

Other than that, missiles from the Self Defense Force garrison…no, never mind.

Regular firearms would be rendered useless against a monster of that size.

“Something wrong, Kudou-san? What’s with the difficult face?”

“Yes? Ah, sorry.”

It seems like my expression revealed my inner turmoil.

Ichinose-san is looking at me worriedly.

Also, her face is dangerously close.

Please stop looking up at me from that angle.

“Actually—”

I tell Ichinose-san what I was thinking about earlier.

****

“What kind of an impossible game are you trying to play?”

That’s the first thing she says after hearing my proposal.

Her impression of the plan is the same as mine.

“I’m amazed you even thought of this.”

“It was just a passing thought. Deciding whether or not I’ll attempt it is a whole different matter.”

“The Dragon, huh… Hmm..”

“Is something on your mind?”

“Well…Didn’t that Dragon also fly over from the neighboring town? Wouldn’t that mean it fled from Peony?

“…You’re probably right.”

The Dragon’s behavior was awfully rushed, suggesting that it was afraid of Peony tracking it down.

“Then… can the Dragon really serve as our ‘trump card’?”

“Hm…”

“In addition… Kudou-san would need to convert to a ‘Monster Tamer’ before anything else…”

“…”

She’s right.

To tame the Dragon, I would have to set my fifth occupation as “Monster Tamer”.

To be honest, “Monster Tamer” is my least desired occupation.

—Katsuragi Sayaka, the Monster Tamer who was once Ichinose-san’s classmate, was able to combine the effects of “Monster Tamer” and her unique skill “Profession Enhancement” to control a large number of monsters.

She even controlled powerful monsters like the Dark Wolf.

Then, with this power, she turned the school into a living hell.

To hoard experience and to benefit herself, she was not afraid to slaughter tens, no, hundreds of other people.

In a sense, she was better adapted to this world than any of us.

Moreover, she had genuinely accepted this world as her reality and enjoyed living within it.

At least that’s what I think.

—Don’t you also have the desire to live as you please?

That’s what she said to me as she laughed hysterically.

She didn’t feel the need to falsify her image. She was truly comfortable living in this new world.

Even so, she was met with a miserable and tragic end.

She was swallowed by the darkness of the Dark Wolf, a familiar which should have been loyal to her because of her occupation.

—The world has finally become what I wanted it to be.

—I don’t want to die here… not like this…no…NOOO…

I still have vivid memories of how she died.

Momo and the others are probably warning me against becoming a “Monster Tamer” for that very reason.

To subdue a powerful monster, I would need to be willing to take a certain amount of risk.

I know that such a risk exists, but as long as conditions are met, one could subordinate monsters several times stronger than the person subordinating them.

Additionally, these monsters can be further “strengthened”.

High risk, high return—that should be the main idea behind the “Monster Tamer” occupation.

Of course, even without converting to a “Monster Tamer”, there is another way to have the Dragon join our ranks.

That’s to have it join us voluntarily, just like what happened with Aka and Kiki.

In that case, there won’t be any risk of betrayal.

Unfortunately, things can never be that convenient.

Not only did it try to roast us on our first encounter, it had one of its eyes shot by Ichinose-san.

At this point, there’s no way that I would be prompted with the message, <<A Dragon looks at you as if you were a friend. Do you wish to befriend it?>>.

(Would the likelihood of success increase if we use President Igarashi’s “Enchantment” skill…?)

From the Alpha subjugation battle, we know that her skill works against monsters as well.

Would it be easier to tame the Dragon if we “Enchant” it after weakening it to an extent…?

“Oh, by the way, Kudou-san, whereabouts is the Dragon at the current moment?”

“Uh, please give me a second.”

I confirm the position of the Dragon through my “Tracking” skill.

Unlike Peony, the Dragon isn’t causing any trouble.

“…It’s at a mountainous area that’s around 20 kilometers away from here. It hasn’t moved since yesterday.”

The direction of the mountainous region is the opposite of where Peony arrived from.

It’s likely that the Dragon is still injured from Ichinose-san’s attack.

The Dragon appears to be resting its body.

(I would have to set up some “Coordinates” before that…)

Before I approach the Dragon, I should first set up “Coordinates” in the periphery using Aka’s clones.

To do that, I must leave the “Safety Zone” and avoid coming into contact with Peony’s vines.

As things stand now, Peony’s vines cover around a quarter of the “Safety Zone’s” barrier. To be more precise, they’re covering up the southwestern portion of the barrier.

However, let’s not forget that it could extend its vines all the way from the neighboring town.

If it tries, I’m sure that Peony could wrap its vines around the entirety of the “Safety Zone”.

(Ten to one, Peony’s “analyzing” the situation…)

Why couldn’t it enter?

How could it enter?

I’m pretty certain that Peony is testing out the functions of the “Safety Zone”.

The evidence is that Peony’s main body hasn’t moved since its arrival at the mountainous region.

(It would spell the end of us when it stirs.)

We’d be doomed the moment Peony figures out that it could attack us indirectly.

Before that happens, we have to obtain the Dragon or find something that could replace—

“…!”

Gata!

I shoot up from my seat.

“W-what’s wrong, Kudou-san…?”

Ichinose-san, who I was sitting next to, jumps in surprise, but that’s not what’s important right now.

This-this presence is—

“The signal from the Dragon has changed…”

“Eh?”

I’ve marked the Dragon with my “Tracking” skill, so I can detect its presence wherever it goes.

The Dragon has begun to move, and it’s headed towards…

“Here… it’s headed here.”

“Wha—!?”

Ichinose-san is rendered speechless.

Mid-conversation, Nishino-kun and Fujita-san turn towards us, alarmed.

“Everyone, it’s an emergency! The Dragon’s coming here!”

What an incredible speed.

Is this… anger that I sense?

It’s not at us, either.

Perhaps—

“Is the Dragon… thinking of having a rematch with Peony here?”

This is no joking matter.

If the two monsters go on a rampage here, everything in this area would be destroyed by the aftermath.

It’s also worth noting that the Dragon’s wounds haven’t healed yet…

Why?

Riddled with both doubt and frustration, I charge out from the meeting room.